Paper and Straw
by TheCharizard321
Summary: Whilst sailing in the New World, the Straw Hat Pirates find themselves flung into a whirlpool and end up in another world...and in one of the greatest adventures they've faced yet! Join them as they travel together with Mario and his crew to gather the seven Crystal Stars! A crossover between One Piece and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door.
1. The Beginning of a New Adventure!

Author's Note: Hey everyone. I've had this idea in my head for awhile now, but only now I've decided to start writing it. Essentially it's a crossover between one of my favorite manga with one of my favorite video games. So without further ado, on with the fic!

* * *

The sun shone brightly upon the water as the _Thousand Sunny_, the ship of the Straw Hat Pirates, sailed onwards through the New World. The captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, Monkey D. Luffy, sat atop the lion-head mast of the ship, a fishing rod in hand, with a bored expression on his face.

"Aaahhh…" He yawned, adjusting his signature straw hat. "I'm bored." His stomach growled. "And hungry. Sanji, make me some food!" He called out to the upper deck.

The crew's cook took a puff of his cigarette. "I can't make anything until we catch us some fish. We're fresh out of meat." He said in an irked voice that implied he had already given this explanation many times to no avail.

Luffy groaned and shouted towards the side of the ship. "Usopp! Chopper! How're you two holding up!?"

Usopp, the long-nosed sniper, responded back with another sigh. "Not even a nibble!" He too gave sigh, for he felt hungry as well. "None of the bait we're using is working at all!"

"Usopp, didn't you tell me you once caught a four-hundred pound goldfish all by yourself?" Asked the half-human, half-reindeer Chopper gullibly.

"Well, of course…but that was during a _raging _thunderstorm, everyone else had left to take shelter, I was the only one brave enough to remain outside and pursue the beast…"

While Usopp continued his fibbing, Zoro, the Straw Hats' green-haired swordsman, struggled to meditate with the ongoing commotion and chatter. _Just ignore it…_ he thought as he fought to remain calm. _You've heard Usopp's stupid lies a million times and have endured it before…you can do this…_

"YOHOHOHOHO!" Brooke, the skeleton musician of the crew, suddenly cried. "Everyone! I've just finished composing a brand new song for us to listen! Come gather round and listen to 'Ramblin' Bones'!" He began to play a loud melody on his guitar, further irritating Zoro.

Franky, the _Sunny_'s cyborg shipwright manning the helm found the beat to be catchy and began dancing to it. "Ow! This song perfectly suits this week's me!" Zoro's veins began to become visible.

"Saaanji, I'm hungryyy!" Whined Luffy again.

"I told you, YOU HAVE TO CATCH SOMETHING FIRST!" Yelled Sanji back, having lost his own patience.

The amount of commotion on the ship had reached its peak level. Zoro was about to burst when the cabin door swung open. There stood Nami, the orange-haired navigator.

"Oh hey, Nami!" Said Luffy, waving to his crewmate and oblivious to the look of annoyance on her face. "You finish drawing up those new maps?"

Nami winced slightly. "Luffy," She said, trying to keep her voice at a calm level while walking towards her captain. "Mapmaking is a very difficult process and requires the utmost concentration…AND I CAN'T FREAKING DO IT WHEN YOU'RE ALL ACTING LIKE IDIOTS!" She screamed as she hit Luffy directly in the face. On most pirate crews this would be considered an act of mutiny, but on the Straw Hat crew such a sight was rather commonplace.

Nico Robin, the historian and archaeologist, who until this point had been quietly sitting in a chair and reading a book, finally decided to chime in. "Isn't it great when we can just relax like this?" She said happily. Compared to all the times the Straw Hats had spent gambling for both their freedom and their lives while going on highly dangerous adventures, Robin had a point. But, unbeknownst to the crew at the time, what might be their biggest adventure to date had just begun to take shape…

Meanwhile, far, far away in the Mushroom Kingdom, the sun shone equally bright upon a certain house. This house belonged to Mario, the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, who had undergone his own fair share of adventures, most of them involving the protection of Princess Peach from the clutches of many of the kingdom's enemies, including his main rival, Bowser.

Parakarry, the winged parakoopa turtle, flew down in front of the mailbox in front of Mario's house. "Mail call!" He yelled before dropping off a thick envelope and flying away.

The door opened. Out walked Luigi, Mario's equally accomplished younger fraternal twin brother (Though I'm afraid he never gets quite the credit that Mario receives). He opened the mailbox and examined the envelope.

"Hey Mario!" He said as he walked back into the house. "It's a letter for you, bro! And it's from Princess Peach!"

Mario, dressed in his signature overalls over a red shirt with a matching red cap, was intrigued. "What-a is it, Luigi?" He asked in his trademark Italian accent.

"Here, let me read it to you!" Said Luigi, who began to clear his throat in preparation.

"No, it's-a fine, I can just read it myself…" Started Mario, but Luigi wasn't listening. He clearly wanted to relish every moment he had in this ordeal. Luigi began to read the letter:

_Hello there, Mario! I am now on holiday, traveling in the Mushroom Kingdom. In_

_my travels, I came into possession of a mystical map...a treasure map,_

_actually. It was inside a box I got from an old merchant in a town called_

_Rogueport. But since it would be too difficult for me to try to go find the_

_treasure all by myself...I thought you could help me hunt for it! You will, of_

_course, won't you? I've included the map with this letter, so please bring it_

_with you when you come. I'll meet you at Rogueport. (That means you MUST_

_come!)_

_~Peach_

"Well, what do you know? There's an old map in this envelope!" Finished Luigi as he produced an old, weathered map from the envelope and gave it to Mario. "What do you say bro, you up for it?"

Mario examined the map, careful not to damage it in its delicate state. While he could make out many different features and areas of the map, there were no distinct markings or X's that would imply any treasure to be found on it. But if Peach had said it was a treasure map, chances are it probably was. "Luigi, pack-a my bags!" He said. "I'm-a going to Rogueport!"

Meanwhile, back on the _Thousand Sunny, _things had quieted down a bit since the altercation between Luffy and Nami. They had not succeeded in catching any fish when Nami again emerged from her cabin.

"Finally done!" She said in a much happier tone as she stretched her arms. "So, have we caught any food yet?"

Sullen glances from everyone responded to this question, especially from Luffy, who looked like he was going to keel over from starvation. "Ah…I'm going to take that as a 'no' then?" Said Nami apologetically.

Luffy looked out again towards the sea again. "WHERE ARE THE FISHES?!" He finally exclaimed, standing up and raising his arms towards the sky to convey his anger.

"Certainly, it is strange how nothing seems to be in the water…" Said Robin. "Perhaps there's something in the water so dangerous that nothing is coming near us…"

"…I really hate it when you talk like that." Shuddered Usopp.

"Hmph, it's probably just because you three are no good at fishing…" Started Nami, but stopped suddenly. She had just gotten a very ominous feeling. One she had felt before. "Or maybe…there's a big storm coming."

"Hmmm? But there aren't any clouds in the sky…" Observed Zoro. "Then again, this is the New World we're talking here…"

"No, there's definitely a storm coming…I can feel it." Said Nami. She had the keen sense of being able to forecast weather based on the slightest change in wind or temperature. But she had a particularly bad feeling about this one. "Usopp! Chopper! Take down the sails! Franky, change direction to head fifty-five degrees southward!"

"Aye aye, Navigator!" Called Franky as Usopp and Chopper began hoisting up the sails. They knew better than to doubt the reliability of Nami.

Sure enough, within an hour of Nami's prediction, the sky began to darken with grey clouds, and rain began to fall, only slightly at first, but eventually evolved into a torrential downpour. The waters became rough and the ship began to rock back and forth.

"H-hang on everyone!" Called Franky from the helm, who despite his massive, metallic body could feel the effects of the wind. "Looks like we're in for a rough one!"

Suddenly Luffy noticed something. "What is that?" He asked in a surprisingly calm voice. He pointed to something not far off from where the ship was. The Straw Hats followed his arm and found themselves staring at the largest whirlpool any of them had ever seen.

"I-i-it's a whirlpool!" Cried out Usopp in panic. "If we fall into that, we're gonna be done for!"

"Quick, Franky! Turn the ship to the left!" Nami ordered. But it was too late. The ship had begun to be pulled into the whirlpool. The ship began to tilt slightly, and the Straw Hats soon found themselves losing their balance.

"It seems like we're heading towards sudden death." Robin said grimly.

"No way some stupid storm's going to take us out!" Said Luffy defiantly. "Franky! Use "Coup de Burst" to fly us out of here!"

"No good, Luffy!" Replied Franky. "At this angle, we'd only be going straight into the water!"

Zoro, meanwhile, had his eyes focused on something else. "Hey, doesn't the bottom of this whirlpool look a little…strange?"

Brooke looked down. "Yohoho! He's right! There's a hole at the bottom!" Instead of the water eventually meeting again at the bottom, there looked to be indeed a pitch-black hole, one that bore resemblance to the entrance of a tunnel.

"W-what is that?" Asked Chopper, now hanging on for dear life.

Suddenly the ship gave a huge jerk forward. "Looks like we're going to find out…" Muttered Sanji, as the ship tilted nearly sideways, causing the crew to fall of the ship and down towards the hole, causing everyone to scream loudly.

"AAAGGGHHHH!" They all yelled as they fell down into the hole, as well as into one of the greatest adventures of all time…

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Author's Note: Well that was my first chapter. What did you guys all think? Please like and leave a review and tell me how I'm doing!


	2. Straw Hat Meets Red Cap

Author: Well, here we are, Chapter 2. This is where the story _really _begins, so I hope you enjoy!

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Luffy began to stir. Slowly at first, but soon enough he was able to pry his eyes open and give a groggy yawn. "Uh…where am I…" He groaned as he felt his forehead. He had a bit of a headache.

He started to look around at his surroundings. He was lying on a cobblestone surface, and the ocean was visible from where he was sitting. It appeared he was at some type of port, but before he could make any further sense of where he was, he was interrupted.

"Hey mister, are you alright?" Called a voice from behind him. Luffy turned to see a very strange looking man, who was very short in stature and had what looked to be a very large, round, polka-dotted hat upon his head.

Luffy suddenly forgot about his headache and gazed at the little man in wonder. "That's such a cool hat!" He said. "Let me try it on!" He tried to yank it off the man's head, but it stuck to the man's body and Luffy wound up lifting the man up in the air.

"Ow! Put me down!" The man cried. "This isn't a hat! It's part of my head! I'm a Toad!"

"Toad?" Said Luffy with a puzzled look as he put the man down. "I thought toads were green and had really long tongues…"

"No! Not _that _kind of toad!" Said the man, rather insulted by the remark. "I'm one of the species that resides in the Mushroom Kingdom. I take it you must not be from around here, right?"

This remark caused Luffy to remember what had happened before he had blacked out. "Hey, have you seen any members of my crew, by any chance?" He asked, his voice sounding urgent now.

"I don't know, what do they look like?" Asked the Toad.

"Well, one's this gigantic cyborg guy called Franky, another is a guy named Brooke, who's a skeleton with an afro, there's also Chopper, who's a talking reindeer…"

By this point the Toad was definitely freaked out by Luffy. "Look, I don't know where you're from, but I haven't seen any of those people here in Rogueport. I think I'd know if I did."

"Oh," Said Luffy with a downcast expression. He'd already been separated from his crew once for two whole years; he didn't like the idea that he would be separated from them again. "Well, if you see any of them, please tell me!" He told the Toad.

"Yeah, sure, I will!" Said the Toad hurriedly, desperate to get out of the conversation with Luffy. "I have to go now, bye!" And he dashed off.

Luffy, still without a lead of where his crew mates might be, began to look around the city. Other than Toads like the one he had just talked to, he could also see creatures that looked like brown mushrooms with feet and fanged teeth, as well as completely round beings with fuses on top of their heads, leading Luffy to believe they were bombs. "This place is…really interesting!" He said to himself. He was so busy looking around at all the different creatures he didn't notice the other human being in front of him and they collided.

"Ah! Sorry…" Said Luffy as he got back up and readjusted his hat. He then noticed that the person he had bumped into was not a strange looking brown mushroom or walking bomb, but a fellow human. One who had a red cap, thick moustache, and overalls…

"Hey! Watch where you're-a going!" Said Mario as he got up and dusted himself off. "Say, you haven't-a seen a blonde girl in a pink dress around here, have you?"

Luffy shook his head, but then got an idea. "Hey, I'm looking for my friends too! What do you say we look for them together, Ossan? It'll be easier that way!"

"Say, that's-a great idea!" Said Mario in agreement. "And I'm-a not 'Ossan', I'm-a Mario!"

"I'm Luffy! I'm the man who's going to be the Pirate King!" Said Luffy as they shook hands.

"Pirate King?" Asked Mario, uneasy of what that could mean. "What's-a that?"

Luffy looked surprised. "You know, the man who has obtained everything in this world…the legendary treasure 'One Piece'!"

_Legendary Treasure? _Thought Mario to himself. _Could it be…the treasure to the map Peach sent?_ But he kept this idea to himself. He didn't want to tell Luffy for fears that he might try to steal the map from him. "I see." Mario simply decided to say. Before their conversation could go any further, they suddenly heard loud, high pitched scream from not too far off.

"No way…Peach?!" Said Mario in alarm, as he ran over to the sound of the scream. Luffy, feeling he would lose his way around without Mario, followed suit.

The scream had not come from Peach, but rather from one of the brown mushroom-like creatures Luffy had seen earlier, only this one was pink instead of brown and had a ponytail, leading Luffy to believe it was female. She had been cornered by several men wearing red uniforms with black 'X's designed on them, white hats and goggles concealing their faces. One of them had a purple hat and black uniform on instead; he was also a bit larger than the rest, leading to the impression that he was the leader of the group.

"Alright missy, enough of your games," Said the one with the purple hat. "I've seen you walking around town asking for information about the Crystal Stars. Well, now I'm doing the asking, so be a good girl and tell us what you know! Right NOW!"

"I don't have anything to say to you creeps!" Retorted the female fiercely.

The leader of the group laughed. "Buh huh huh huh! Not talkin' eh? I suppose it'd be no good to harm a pretty young Goomba like you…men! Take her back to the fortress!"

"Yes, Lord Crump!" They all said in unison.

"_Mamma mia! _What are they doing with-a that poor Goomba?" Asked Mario, who began to get angry at this injustice.

"Goomba? Is that what those things are called?" Asked Luffy.

"You've-a never heard of Goombas before?" Said a surprised Mario, but he soon turned his attention back on the incident in front of them. "Never mind-a that, we've-a got to do something!"

"You're right!" Said Luffy, who began to take a fighting stance. "Hey, big fat purple guy!"

Lord Crump quickly turned towards Luffy and Mario. "Buh WUH? Who dares talk to the great Lord Crump that way?!"

The female Goomba took this time to run over to Luffy and Mario's side. "Ha! Like I'd ever go anywhere with smelly lunatics like you!" She spat at Lord Crump.

"Wuh?! And just what do you two chumps think you're doing, huh?!" Said a now-enraged Lord Crump. "You think you just waltz in here and meddle with our plans?!"

"I don't-a know what's going on, but it's-a clear to me you guys are up to-a no good!" Said Mario, not intimidated by Crump's threats.

"I see…looks like I'm gonna have to give you a taste of the old CRUMP-A-BOMB!" Yelled Lord Crump as he lunged at Mario, who expertly dodged the attack by jumping abnormally high in the air. He then landed on Crump's head, giving it a good stomp before back flipping and landing perfectly on the ground.

"Woah!" Said Luffy in amazement. _This moustache-ossan…he's a pretty strong guy!_

Crump, undaunted, leapt again at Mario from behind. But Luffy wouldn't let him "Gomu gomu no…PISTOL!" He stretched his arm about two feet and struck Crump in the head from behind.

Everyone stared in amazement. "How on earth did you DO that?!" Said the female Goomba, stupefied.

"I ate the Gomu Gomu Fruit and become a rubber man!" Explained Luffy with a cheeky grin.

Lord Crump got up again, slightly injured but not shaken. "Not bad…" He admitted, "But now…it's GO TIME! X-NAUTS!" and gave a whistle.

From seemingly out of nowhere, around 200 of the men in red uniforms and white hats jumped out of hiding and swarmed around Mario, Luffy, and the female Goomba. "PUNISH THEM!" Ordered Crump, and the X-Nauts proceeded to jump at them, resulting in a gigantic-pile on and chaotic fighting.

"Buh huh huh huh…" Cackled Lord Crump as the fighting continued. "Buh huh huh huh…HUH?!" He exclaimed as he suddenly noticed something. "STOP!" He commanded. The X-Nauts immediately stopped fighting. Crump looked around. There was no straw hat or red cap in sight.

"Where did they go?! You there!" He snapped, pointing to an X-Naut. "Did you see anything?!" The X-Naut only shrugged. "Dammit…how did they sneak away?!"

Meanwhile, Luffy, Mario, and the female Goomba had managed to sneak away from the mass of X-Nauts and had wandered into the central part of Rogueport. Small shops surrounded the central square of the city, with a gallows placed directly in the center of the square.

"Thanks for saving me back there, guys." The female Goomba said. "My name's Goombella, by the way."

"Ah, don't-a mention it!" Said Mario humbly.

"I hate it here!" Goombella went on, "There's so many creeps and shady guys hanging out in this city. I know it is called Rogueport, but still…the only reason I'm here is because I'm investigating into some legendary treasure…"

"Treasure?!" Asked a startled Mario. "That's-a what I'm here for too!" He produced the treasure map from his pocket. He figured Luffy, after his actions fighting Crump with him, could be trusted enough.

Goombella's eyes lit up. "Woah woah, what you got there?!" She examined the map. "Is…is this a treasure map?!"

"Woah, cool!" Said Luffy. "You look for treasure, and you're really strong too…Ossan, are you a pirate?"

"No, I'm-a plumber!" Answered Mario nonchalantly. Luffy decided not to pursue the subject.

"Where did you get this?" Demanded Goombella, still eyeing the map, almost unable to believe that this could be the real treasure map.

"Oh, Peach-a gave this to me!" Explained Mario, not making any major deal of it.

"Peach? As in…_Princess _Peach?!" Pressed Goombella, even more bewildered. "The same Princess Peach who rules over the Mushroom Kingdom?" Mario nodded.

"Woah, I knew it!" Said Luffy in amazement. "Ossan is a really cool guy! You should join my crew!"

"Mister…just who are you?" Asked Goombella. Her question was answered by someone other than Mario or Luffy.

"Ah, Master Mario!" Another toad, this one looking aged with a brown polka-dotted head and a gray, bushy moustache, called out to Mario, walking towards them with the support of his cane.

"Hey! It's another one of those 'Frogs'!" Pointed out Luffy.

"You mean 'Toad'?" Said the elderly Toad, a bit confused. "Anyways, Master Mario, what brings you here?"

"Oh, Toadsworth!" Said Mario. "I came here because-a Peach told me to-a help her look for-a the treasure!"

"Wait…you mean to tell me this is guy is Mario?! Mario that's rescued Princess Peach from Bowser's clutches countless times Mario?" Said a now completely bewildered Goombella. She couldn't believe she had been standing next to such a prestigious figure this whole time.

"Ossan is awesome!" Remarked Luffy with a grin.

"So where's-a the Princess, Toadsworth?" Mario asked. A downcast look spread across Toadsworth's face.

"Yes, well, you see…I was going to ask you the same thing." He admitted. "I just took my eyes off her for a second…You know how headstrong she is, Master Mario…" He perked his head up. "But if you're here Master Mario, hope is not lost! I know you can find her!" He looked at Luffy and Goombella. "And just who are these two?"

"I'm Goombella, I just happened to meet Mario, really it is quite an honor…" Said a flustered Goombella.

"And I'm Luffy! The man who's going to be Pirate King!" Said Luffy proudly.

"I met them here at-a Rogueport." Explained Mario. "They both are-a looking for a-treasure too."

"I see. Well, I do hope you can find the Princess, along with this 'treasure'. I'm a bit too old for this type of adventure, so I'll just stay at a nearby inn. If you find out anything, please tell me!" With that, Toadsworth began to walk back towards the inn.

"Gosh, this is crazy! To think I'd get involved in all this…" Said Goombella. "What do we do now?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Said Luffy, excited at the idea of an adventure. "We look for the treasure! If this 'Princess Pear' person is looking for it, so will we! Maybe we'll find my nakama while we're at it!"

"It's 'Princess Peach'." Corrected Goombella. "If that's the case then, we should start by looking for Professor Frankly, one of my former professors from U Goom. He currently lives here, researching the myth of this treasure. I arrived here at Rogueport to talk with him. If anyone can help us here, it's him."

"Well then, what are we-a waiting for? Let's-a go!" Mario said as Goombella led the way towards Professor Frankly's house.

* * *

"Professor, are you here?!" Goombella called as she opened the door to a small building. Inside, the front room had bookcases all around the walls, crammed with various volumes and issues of research material.

"Ah, I know you!" They were greeted by an old Goomba who wore thick glasses and tufts of gray hair around the sides. "Let's see if I can remember correctly…it's Goombriel, nor Elizagoom…it's Goombella, right?"

"Yes! Glad you remember me, Professor!" Goombella said.

"Only because you were an exceptional student. Now, who are these two people behind you?"

"These two are here because they're interested in the treasure that's supposedly buried around here. If you could tell us anything about it, Professor, it would be a great help…"

The Professor's eyes lit up. "Of course I know about it! That's why I'm here, aren't I? In fact, I just sent my assistant to get a book about it from the back room!"

"Assistant? I thought you worked alone, Professor." Said Goombella, a bit puzzled.

"I do, but recently I found someone also very interested in archaeology, as well as the mysteries of the treasure!" Said Frankly. The door to the back room opened. "Ah, here she comes now!"

The door opened to reveal a person Luffy recognized at once.

"R-ROBIN!?"

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Author: Well, that was chapter 2. What did you guys think? Be sure to favorite, follow, or leave a review! Thanks!


	3. Crystal Stars and Rift Pool

Author's Note: Hey everyone, me again. Not really much to say so...here's Chapter 3!

* * *

Robin stared back in equal shock at the sight of her Captain. "Luffy…so you made it here too?" She asked him.

Professor Frankly gave a confused look. "Huh? You two know each other?"

"Yeah, Robin's one of my crewmates!" Explained Luffy. "Robin, you haven't seen anyone else here have you?" He pressed.

Robin shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I awoke yesterday in this city not knowing where I was or where anyone else could be." Luffy's heart sank. "Luckily, Professor Frankly here found me and took me in. I've been spending the time in his library trying to find out what happened to us, and how we got here."

"Yeah, come to think of it…" Said Goombella to Luffy. "You don't seem to know anything about Mario, Toads, and even Princess Peach…just where are you two from?"

"Well, we're from all different places, really." Said Luffy. "I'm from East Blue…"

"East Blue? Never-a heard of it!" Said Mario, stumped. He had been to a fair share of exotic locations in his travels, so it was rare of him to not know a place.

"Neither have I." Added Frankly. "If I may ask, how did you two get here?"

"Well, we were sailing along the Grand Line as usual, when all of a sudden this big storm appeared out of nowhere! And then we saw this really big whirlpool and we fell in…and then I ended up here!" Explained Luffy, using body language all the while to express himself.

"Hmmm…" Mused Frankly. "Perhaps, what happened to you might have been…"

"Professor, do you know anything?" Inquired Robin, also eager to know the key to this mystery.

"I've only heard about it as a myth…" Said Frankly, going towards his large bookcase and pulling out an old, dusty book and opening it to a certain page. "But perhaps what happened is you may have encountered a 'Rift Pool'."

"Rift Pool? What's that?" Asked Luffy.

"Rift Pool. It's a whirlpool that acts as a gateway between different worlds. Many strange and unidentified objects are sometimes explained as things that have passed through it." Robin recited. Frankly looked shocked that she knew, and so did everyone else. "I've also read about this in a book once…only as a legend. But if it exists in both my world and here…"

"Then that must be it!" Said Goombella. "Then that means…you two are from another world! Man, this day just keeps getting weirder and weirder…"

"Well, how do we get back? And how do we figure out where everyone else went?" Luffy wanted to know. He wanted to get back to his own journey, and fast.

"The only way to get back is to find another Rift Pool, I'm afraid." Said Frankly, looking over at his book for information. "As for your friends, they are likely scattered throughout this world. I'm sorry, but I'm not an expert on this subject…"

"It's fine," Said Luffy, trying to look on the bright side. "My friends are strong, they'll be fine on their own! All I have to do is find them, right?"

"That's the spirit!" Said Frankly. "Moving on then, about the treasure…"

"Yes, can you please tell us more?" Pressed Goombella. "What exactly is this treasure?"

"I've heard all sorts of rumors and theories." Frankly went on. "Some say it's an infinitely vast treasure hoard, while others say it's a magical item. Some books say it's actually a monster, while still others claim it's an empty chest...So many different theories... Obviously, it's impossible to divine the truth among them. ...But all agree on one point: to find the treasure, one must have the Crystal Stars!"

"Just like the old saying…To find the treasure of yore, one must take the Crystal Stars to the Thousand-Year Door!" Said Goombella.

"Yes, I've read the same in the brief time I've been here. But how do you find these Stars?" Robin asked the Professor.

"According to legend, one must find a magical map which will reveal the locations of the Crystal Stars." Frankly answered. "But I don't know where it is…if only we had it…"

"But Professor, that's just it! Mario here has the map!" Exclaimed Goombella as she turned towards the plumber.

"What? Oh yeah!" Remembered Mario as he pulled out the map and showed it to Frankly.

The professor gaped at the map for a few seconds, before his jaw promptly dropped in disbelief. "W-what is this…?" He said, voice trembling. "I-is this…the real thing?!" His eyes darted in all directions all over the map. "It can't be…this is the real map! The final piece to the puzzle is here! I can't believe this!"

"Great! So-a what do we do now?" Asked Mario, glad to know Peach's efforts to locate this treasure so far had not been in vain.

Frankly chuckled. "Simple, my boy! We take this thing down towards the underground of Rogueport…down where the Thousand-Year Door is! If we do, it will reveal to us the location of the Crystal Stars!"

"Alright! Now we're getting somewhere!" Said Goombella. She turned to Luffy and Robin. "You guys should come with us! If you're looking around for the Crystal Stars with us, there's a good chance we'll bump into your friends along the way!"

"Yosh! Then it's settled! Looks like another adventure!" Said Luffy. He pumped his fist in determination. "Robin! You coming too?"

Robin smiled. "If the captain says so, then I guess I have to, don't I?"

"Alright! Everyone, follow me. We're going down to the sewers of Rogueport!" Frankly exclaimed. He led them outside of the house and through the streets of Rogueport. He finally stopped in front of an old fence, behind which was a single green pipe that stuck out from the ground. Frankly fidgeted with the fence a bit before a part of it fell off.

"Bet you guys didn't figure this fence just comes undone like this, did you?" Grinned Frankly as they approached the green pipe. "Alright everyone, down you go then."

"…And how do we do that?" Asked Luffy, a bit confused.

"Oh, right. I keep forgetting you're not from around here. These are what are known as 'Warp Pipes'." Explained Frankly. "Mario! Show 'em how it's done!"

"A-certainly!" Said Mario, who jumped up to the top of the pipe. He began to spin as he descended down into the pipe.

"Woah! That's so cool!" Said Luffy, and before anyone could say anything else he leapt onto the pipe and began to descend downwards. The two others then proceeded to follow him.

Luffy felt himself spinning wildly, like getting flushed down a toilet. The spinning sensation only last a few seconds, however, as he soon found himself out of the pipe, landing in the depths of Rogueport. As expected of an underground area, the area gave a dark and gloomy feel, with old stone flooring and dimly lit paths, but Luffy and Robin where struck on how large the area seemed to be, with doors and platforms leading to even more locations.

"So these are the 'Rogueport Sewers' I've heard about..." Said Robin, who in her brief stay had heard people discuss amongst themselves the nature of what exactly went down in this underground area.

"Right. Be on your guard, everyone..." Warned Frankly. "These sewers are full of all sorts of hoodlums just itching for a fight. If you're not careful, you'll find yourself being mugged..."

Almost as if on cue, three Goombas emerged from the shadows and approached the group. The first was simply a regular Goomba in appearance, while the second had two tiny wings on him, allowing him to levitate in the air. The third wore a hat that had a single, large, metal spike atop it.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Smirked the regular Goomba. "What's a hottie like you doing with a bunch of losers like this?" He motioned towards Goombella.

"Tch. Get lost, creep." Retorted Goombella, a look of disgust on her face.

"Now, now, no need to be so cold to us, baby!" Said the flying goomba. "C'mon, ditch these losers and hang out with us...Ow!" Luffy had gotten behind him and was tugging at his wings.

"These are so cool!" Luffy remarked in excitement. "Where can I get wings like this?" He gave another hard tug to try and get them to come off.

"Cut that out!" Said a flying Goomba, visibly annoyed. "Those are a part of my body! I'm a Paragoomba!"

"Enough of this goofing around!" Said the spiked Goomba, as the three Goombas regrouped in formation. "Nobody screws around with us like that! You're all going down!"

"It looks like there's no avoiding it...we're gonna have to fight them!" Said Frankly.

Luffy's face changed to a more determined one. "Is that so?" He said, cracking his knuckles. "Well in that case...bring it on, you Boomgas!"

"Er, it's 'Goombas'..." Corrected Goombella.

"Whatever!" Said Luffy, taking a fighting pose.

"Heh, you're gonna wish you never decided to mess with us!" Said the regular Goomba. And with that, the two sides leapt into battle.

* * *

Author's Note: And that's it for Chapter 3! A little shorter than the last chapter, but the next one will have their arrival at the Thousand Year Door! 'Till next time!


	4. Adventure in the Rogueport Sewers

Author's Note: Hey everyone, me again. As promised, here's chapter 4, where the gang reaches the Thousand Year Door (Hey, that rhymes) ! Enjoy!

* * *

"Take this!" Yelled the Paragoomba as he flew down towards Luffy. Luffy was able to dodge the attack, sliding out of the way before the flying Goomba could make contact. "Damn! I missed him!"

"Is that all you've got?" Said Luffy with a grin. He then wound up both of his arms. "Gomu Gomu no...Gatling!" He called out as he flew a massive array of punches at the Paragoomba, knocking him away.

The normal Goomba stared, slack-jawed in shock. "H-how did he do that?!" He exclaimed, eyes widening.

"Hmph, whatever it is, I'd like to see him try that on me!" Said the spiked Goomba. "Punches and jumps are no good on a Spiny Goomba like me! I'll handle him!"

"Not-a so fast!" Said Mario, jumping in front of the Spiny Goomba. "If jumps won't-a work, then...HAMMER!" He proceeded to whip out his wooden hammer and swung it like a baseball bat, making direct contact. The Spiny Goomba was blown away, just like the Paragoomba had been.

The normal Goomba had now broken out into a sweat just by observing their actions. "These guys...how can they be so crazy strong?!" He said, gulping nervously, realizing he was now alone in fighting them.

"I'll handle you!" Said Goombella. "HEADBONK!" She proceeded to ram at full speed at the lone Goomba, again making a direct contact, causing him to be sent flying as well.

Professor Frankly looked on in amazement. "That was incredible! The stories of your strength certainly weren't exaggerated, Mario! Luffy and Goombella, you guys did splendidly too!"

"That's the Captain for you." Said Robin in agreement. "Now then, should we continue looking for the Thousand Year Door?"

"Right!" Said Frankly. "Onward, everyone!"

The group continued downward through the sewers on their quest to find the legendary door. Occasionally they would came across another group of rowdy Goombas, but it was never anything that either Luffy or Mario couldn't handle. At last they came to an enclosed area where the next entrance was on a platform that was far and out of reach from them.

"If I'm correct...the Thousand Year should be just through that entrance!" Said Frankly. "But...how do we all get across to there?"

"I know!" Said Luffy "I'll stretch my arm to over there, and you guys can walk across like a tightrope!"

"That'd be great, except me and Frankly don't have arms, so we can't really maintain our balance..." Stated Goombella.

"Yes, preferably I would like to see the door for myself..." Agreed Frankly.

While they discussed the means of getting across, Robin noticed something out of the corner of her eye. It was only for an instant, but she saw a small, gray, creature scuttling away into a crack in the wall. _Just what was that...? _She thought to herself. _This world just keeps getting more mysterious..._

"Hey! What's-a that over there?" Said Mario, pointing to another part of the area. There was, on their left, another door, one that could be reached by climbing the platforms nearby.

"Hm? I don't recall ever seeing that door..." Said Frankly. "But, it could lead us to a clue on how to get by. It's worth checking out." With that, the group of five entered the other door, where they found themselves in a small room, with a large, black treasure chest in the center.

"There doesn't seem to be anything in here except this chest...wonder what's inside?" Pondered Goombella. The instant she stopped speaking, the chest began to shake violently.

"_Is someone there? Can you hear me?" _A voice suddenly called from the chest.

"Woah! It-a spoke!" Exclaimed Mario.

"Maybe someone fell in it and can't get out!" Said Luffy, reminded of the time he met Gaimon.

"_No, only the heroes of legend can hear my voice!" _The voice continued. _"An evil spirit trapped me in here, banishing me to an eternity in this chest. Normal people aren't able to hear my voice. Only the heroes of legend can hear me and free me from this chest!"_

"Well, what do we need to do?" Asked Goombella, who had a skeptical look on her face.

"_Somewhere in these sewers, there lies the key to unlocking this chest! Find it and bring it back here!"_

"A key...but where are we supposed to find it? That could take ages!" Said Frankly.

"Key? Hmmm...is this it?" Asked Luffy, pulling out a black key from his pocket.

"Woah! Where did you get that?!" Asked Goombella in shock.

"Oh, I found it on the ground a while back and thought it looked neat, so I kept it." Explained Luffy matter-of-factly.

"_Yes! That's it! That's the key! Hurry up and get me out of here!" _The voice from the chest cried out, as the chest shook violently in anticipation.

"Now hang on here everyone," Said Frankly. "I'm not sure we can trust this guy. This whole thing seems suspicious to me. In any case let's not bring up the fact that we're searching for the Crystal Stars..."

"_Crystal Stars you say? So you really are the legendary heroes!"_ Cried the chest.

"Me and my big mouth..." Grumbled Frankly. "Well whatever, let's just proceed with caution here. I think we should interrogate this chest a little further before reaching any definite conclusion on what to...LUFFY ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING?!" Luffy had promptly ignored all of Frankly's ramblings and was now inserting the key into the chest's lock.

"What? I'm sure it's fine. Asking a bunch of question take the fun out of it, wouldn't it?" Luffy said with a cheeky grin. "Besides, what's the worst that could happen?" He added before turning the key to unlock the chest.

"_HAHAHA! FOOOOOOOOOLS!" _

The chest opened, and from it emerged a thick purple aura that quickly covered the entire room. Once it had, two large, yellow eyes and a yellow mouth began to take shape around the aura.

"W-what's-a going on?!" Said Mario nervously.

"See! I knew it! You tricked us!" Added Frankly.

"_That's right! Did you honestly think you losers were some kind of heroes?! Now behold, I shall inflict a terrible curse upon all of youuuu!" _The aura cackled.

"A...a curse?!" Stuttered Goombella. "W-what kind of curse?!"

"Perhaps every night we will experience being skinned alive by evil spirits, and tears of blood will run down our faces..." Suggested Robin.

"_What? Uh...no, nothing like that. But is indeed terrible! Just watch! Buggly-Wuggly WOOO!" _The room suddenly flashed a bright light three times in rapid succession. _"Now you are all eternally cursed! Hahahaha!"_

"Hm? I don't-a feel any different..." Said Mario, feeling his face just to make sure he wasn't crying any blood.

"_Oh, but you are! For I have cursed you all...to turn into a paper airplane! Hahahaha! How's that for a terrible curse?"_

"...A paper airplane?" Said Goombella, her tense face relaxing a little.

"_Yes! From now on, whenever any of you wish, you may turn into a paper airplane! And here's the really scary part...when you do, you may carry people in you and transport them with you! Hahaha! Write in pathetic agony, for today starts your cursed existence!"_

"That's really more of a gift than a curse..." Noted Robin.

"_No! It is terrible, I assure you! You, there, with the straw hat! Try it out, and be horrified by the powers of my curse! Just think about turning into a paper airplane, and it will happen!" _

"Me? Okay..." Said Luffy, who closed his eyes and thought about transforming. Instantly, his body started folding itself, before he took the shape of a paper airplane in mid-air.

"Woah! This is so COOL!" He exclaimed as he glided throughout the air, until he landed on the ground, causing his body to unfold and turn back to normal. "Aw man, that lasted too short..."

"_Haha! That's just another terrible part of the curse! Once you transform, you can't change back...until you hit the ground! Hahaha! Do you understand the true horror of this curse now?"_

"Uh...yeah sure, it's...pretty 'terrible', I guess...?" Said Frankly, who was now completely confused.

"_Haha! I knew it! Enjoy your terrible curse, suckers! Farewell!" _And with that, the purple aura around the gang vanished.

"So...just what was that all about?" Asked Goombella.

"I...don't really know." Was all Frankly could respond with.

"This world just keeps getting more interesting!" Said Luffy excitedly. "Wonder if we'll run into any more of those fun chests?"

"We better not..." Sighed Goombella, as the group exited the area.

"In any case, this can work to our advantage for now." Said Frankly. "If we use this paper airplane...'curse'...we can get across this gap, and reach the Thousand Year Door!"

"Alright then! Let's-a go, everyone!" Called Mario as he lept into the air and transformed into his paper plane form. The others quickly followed suit, and at last the gang reached their destination, the enterance to the Thousand Year Door.

The group of five now found themselves in a much larger room, with a pedestal placed in the direct center of the room. Facing the pedestal was the Thousand Year Door itself. It was a gigantic, red, door, standing about twenty-five feet high and fifteen feet wide. On the door was a woodcut illustration, depicting seven large stars amongst various design patterns.

"So that's the 'Thousand Year Door'..." Said Robin to herself as she gazed upon the large door. "So those legends really were true..."

"Yeah...but what's this pedestal for, I wonder?" Inquired Goombella.

"Hmmm...I don't-a know..." Said Mario as he climbed the pedestal to get a better look at it. Once he reached the center of the pedestal, it suddenly started glowing a bluish hue, as a pattern of seven circles connected by lines appeared around Mario. "Woah! What's-a going on?!"

"This is cool!" Said Luffy in awe.

"Mario! The map!" Called out Frankly. "It must be a reaction to the map! Take it out!"

Mario proceeded to do so, and when he had unfolded the map completely, it began to levitate into the air and give off a white glow. When it had reached a distance in the air above Mario's head, it was struck by a blue beam of light from above, before turning back to normal and floating back down into Mario's hands. The glowing lights from the pedestal then subsidided

Mario looked at the map. "Hey! The map, it-a changed!" He noticed. In the top right corner of the map, there now stood a picture of a large, grey castle, and in front of it, stood a white star, made entirely of crystal.

Frankly came up to take a look at it. "This is...the location of a Crystal Star! It's been revealed!"

"Woah! Really?" Exclaimed Goombella. After years of trying to find out the location of the stars, the idea that they were now in their grasp as almost too good to be true.

"Yes. We should head back to my place so we can study this better. C'mon everyone!" And with that, he began to lead the gang out of Rogueport sewers. That is, except for one...

"Robin! You coming?" Called out Luffy. Robin hadn't moved and was staring at the Thousand Year Door.

"Yeah...I'll be right there." She answered back. She then turned to face the door again. _I don't believe this..._She thought to herself. She was not looking at the door itself, but rather at the markings that had been engraved one the side of it. _Why is it here...why is there Poneglyph written on here?!_

* * *

Authors Note: And that's it for this chapter! As you can see, looks like this won't be your average retelling of this game...what did you guys think? If you can, please take the time to review so I can see how I'm doing! 'Till next time!_  
_


	5. Petalburg

Author's Note: Hey everyone me again. Here's Chapter 5! Also, just wanna say thank you to everyone who's reviewed my work so far, really helps me know how people think of it and how I'm doing, so thanks! Here's the chapter!

* * *

"I see...according to this map, the first Crystal Star is located in Petal Meadows!" Declared Frankly. They were all back at Frankly's study, discussing the nature of the map and the Crystal Stars.

"Petal Meadows?" Inquired Goombella, who, together with Luffy and Robin, had never heard of the place before.

"It's place located just east here of Rogueport. In all honesty, I'm not too surprised it's where this star is located, the name had come up in my research several times...There's no need to worry much, as the name implies, it's a mostly peaceful place, covered in meadows."

"Aw, that doesn't sound very fun!" Said Luffy, picking his nose. "Why can't it be somewhere more dangerous?"

"Nothing seems to scare you, does it?" Noted Frankly. "In any case, the quickest route is through a Warp Pipe that's located in the sewers. You'll have to go back down there again if you want to go..."

"Well, it looks-a like we've got-a no choice. On to Petal Meadows!" Said Mario.

"Professor, you're not coming with us?" Asked Goombella.

"No, this old body of mine would probably just get in the way. This is best left to you guys, who are young and can fight." Said Frankly.

While everyone discussed the plans to get home, Robin had been silently thinking to herself. _Why was there Poneglyph written on that door? _She thought to herself. _And, what was was written on it...was it really true? _For the time being, she decided to keep those thoughts to herself.

"So...where is this pipe, anyway?" Asked Luffy as the four of them found themselves once again walking through the sewers of Rogueport. They were being led by Goombella, who was holding a map given to her by Frankly.

"According to this map, it should be just through here!" Said Goombella, leading them through a walkway. They came to an area that was mostly covered in water, but from a distance they could see a platform which contained a warp pipe that was made of brick.

"That must-a be the platform!" Said Mario. "But, how do we get-a over there?"

"Good question. We Goombas aren't really the best of swimmers..." Admitted Goombella. "You know, seeing as he have no arms."

"Yeah, and me and Robin ate Devil Fruits, so we're hammers in water!" Said Luffy. Then he noticed something sticking out of the water to the side of them. It was long, white, cylindrical object, and it was squirming about slightly. "Hey, what's this thing?" Luffy picked up the object and gave a big tug at it. The object reacted violently to this and retreated into the water. "Hm, what was that thing?"

"If I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure that was some kind of 'tentacle'." Said Robin. "Which means..."

From the water, something large suddenly erupted from it's depths. It looked like a large, white squid, it's bright bulging eyes surrounded by black, as if it was wearing a robber's mask.

"BloopbloopbloopbloopBLOOP!" The squid gurgled. (Translation: What's with that, huh? You think you can just pull on people's tentacles whenever you feel like?!)

"It's...it's a Blooper!" Said Mario. "But it's-a huge! I've-a never seen one as-a big as-a this before!"

"It's just a squid, right?" Asked Luffy. "I am getting pretty hungry. We should turn him into Takoyaki!"

"BLOOPBLOOPBLOOPBLOOPBLOOOOP!" (Translation: What's that about cooking me?! You're really gonna regret saying that, punk!)

"I wonder what it's saying?" Wondered Luffy.

"Whatever it is, I don't think it's very happy with us..." Remarked Goombella.

"Bloopbloopbloopbloop!" (Translation: You're damn right I'm not happy!) With this the Blooper brought out another long tentacle together with the one that was already out, and began striking the ground with an array of punches, while the four tried their best to dodge.

"Looks-a like we'll have-a to fight!" Said Mario, pulling out his hammer. "POWER SMASH!" With incredible force he struck down his hammer on one of the Blooper's tentacles. The Blooper winced in pain and the tentacle recoiled, leaving only one left. The remaining tentacle, meaning while, was heading straight at Robin.

"SEIS FLUER!" Called out Robin. Six hands appeared around the tentacle, squeezing it and bringing it down to the ground. This tentacle too retreated back into the waters.

Goombella and Mario looked on in amazement. "How did you do that?!" Said Goombella, looking as shocked as the first time she saw Luffy stretch.

"I guess this is your first time seeing my 'Hana Hana Fruit' in action..." Answered Robin. "I can duplicate any part of my body onto other surfaces."

"You guys-a sure have-a some crazy powers back-a in your world..." Responded Mario.

Meanwhile, the Blooper was now getting even angrier, seeing as they not only had brushed off his attacks, but now seemed to be ignoring him completely. "Bloop! Bloopbloopbloooop!" (Translation: That's it! Time to go all out!) The Blooper leaped up out of the water, on to the dry land, as both of his long tentacles returned to form. "Bloopbloopbloopbloop? Bloopbloopbloopbloopbloop!" (What do you think of this? Now that I'm on land, I can focus all of my strength on defeating you!) However, when he looked at his opponents to see if they had any expression of fear, he saw that Luffy had his arms stretched behind him.

"GOMU GOMU NO...BAZOOKA!" Yelled Luffy as he swung his hands forward and hit the Blooper with full force, sending it flying backwards, defeated.

"Yeah! Take that, you stupid squid!" Cheered Goombella in celebration of victory.

"Aw man, I overdid it...I wanted to eat him, too..." Said Luffy, more disappointed than anything. Just then there was a rumbling sound, and from where the Blooper had previously stood, a large wooden platform emerged from the depths of the water, enabling them to get to the warp pipe.

"So that's-a how you get across..." Said Mario. "Now then, on to-a Petal Meadows". With that, the group headed toward the Warp Pipe, and headed on towards their destination...

* * *

"So this place is Pedal Meadows..." Said Goombella as she exited the pipe, the last of the four to do so. As Frankly had said, it looked like a serene place, filled with green grass and trees, with flowers sprouting up from place to place. "Now, where could that Crystal Star be?"

Mario examined the map. "According to this map, it's-a in some type of-a castle..." He looked upwards, scanning the area. "Ah! Over there!" He pointed his finger, and the group followed the direction. It was incredibly distant, but the group could see a castle that matched the one on Mario's map.

"Oh, in that case we should just head over there..." Said Luffy as he took a few steps forward. However, a large, sudden roar from the skies made him stop.

"W-what was that?!" Said Goombella as she looked up into the sky.

Robin looked up too. Her eyes widened slightly. "Impossible...so they exist in this world..."

"IT'S A DRAGON!" Called out Luffy in amazement. Though high up in the sky, the large, flying object resembled that of a winged dragon. It was red in color, and though the distance made it hard to estimate the size, it appeared to be at least fifty feet long. The gang watched the large beast as it flew in the sky, until it reached the castle that was in the distance.

"It-a flew into the castle!" Exclaimed Mario. "That-a means..."

"Hehe, looks like things are finally getting interesting." Said Luffy with a grin.

"In any case, if we're going to that castle, we need to figure out how to get there." Said Robin. "It seems to be too far away to get there by foot."

"I think there's a town nearby, it's called 'Petalburg'." Said Goombella. "If we go there, maybe we can get some answers about that...and what that dragon was..."

* * *

"Welcome travelers!" Said a voice as the group walked into the town of Petalburg. It was a small, cozy village, with small cottages placed about the area, and river that flowed through the town. They had been greeted by a large, turtle-like being with a green shell and matching green boots.

"Woah! A talking turtle!" Said Luffy in amazement. "This place never runs out of cool stuff!" The turtle like being gave him a quizzical look.

Mario pulled Luffy aside. "Those are-a a koopas." He whispered. "You'll-a see these guys everywhere too, so don't-a forget that!"

The Koopa meanwhile had continued the conversation. "It's great to see tourists like you guys visiting. Ever since that dragon Hooktail, our tourism business has really been taking a hit..."

"Hooktail?" Said Robin. "So that dragon we saw earlier..."

"Yep, that was Hooktail." Said the Koopa. "Ever since that dragon showed up, people stopped coming here. A shame, since this place is so scenic. Luckily, a hero has appeared in this town, and has promised to vanquish the dragon!"

"A Hero?" Inquired Mario.

"Yes, it was a few days ago, a mysterious man showed up here in Petalburg." Said the Koopa. "He claimed he was a legendary hero who had defeated our 50,000 men in a single hit, and had a personal army of over eight million! He's the saviour who will defeat Hooktail!"

Robin and Luffy exchanged glances. "You don't think..." Started Robin.

* * *

Meanwhile...

"_Me and my big mouth!" _Thought Usopp as he ran throughout Petalburg. _"When I woke up here, I assumed this was a peaceful place so I made that up...but now I have to fight that Dragon?! Did they see the size of that thing?! Like hell I could beat that by myself! I just need to get out of here and find Luffy and the rest of the crew...before that dragon eats me!" _With those thoughts in mind, he continued to head towards the exit of Petalburg.

* * *

"WHAT? You know the legendary hero?!" Said the Koopa, amazed at Luffy.

"Yeah, Usopp is my nakama!" Said Luffy happily. "I'm glad to see he's doing alright."

"Hey, you guys didn't tell us you knew such an amazing guy!" Remarked Goombella.

"Well...Usopp has a tendency to stretch the truth a bit..." Said Robin.

The Koopa noticed something in the distance, "Hey! Here he comes now!" He pointed to the running Usopp, heading towards the gates of Petalburg.

"HEY! USOPP!" Called out Luffy as he waved at him to get his attention.

Usopp saw Luffy and immediately stopped running. His expression of fear turned to one of joy. "LUFFY! ROBIN!" He exclaimed in a burst of happiness as he headed to see his friend. "Boy am I glad to see you guys! Listen, we need to high tail it out of here, you see there's this Dragon..." He then noticed the Koopa that was standing there with them. "There's this Dragon named Hooktail who we must vanquish! By the way, good Koopa, these are my subordinates Luffy, Robin, and..." He drew a blank look at Goombella and Mario.

"I'm Goombella, nice to might you!" Said Goombella, realizing what Robin had meant.

"And I'm-a Mario!" Said Mario with a tip of his cap.

"What?! You mean you're the famous Mario?" Said the Koopa in disbelief. "Amazing...to think someone like the great Mario is working under The Great Usopp's command...you truly are a legendary hero who has come to save us from Hooktail!"

"Uh...yeah..haha..." Muttered Usopp. _Crap, the situation got worse! Why is Luffy hanging around with people like that?!_

"By the way..." Interrupted Robin. "Do you know anything about something called the Crystal Stars, and if they have any connection to that Hooktail?"

"I've never heard anything about Crystal Stars," Answered the Koopa. "If anyone here did, it'd probably be the mayor, seeing as he's the oldest resident..."

"Do you know where he lives?" Inquired Goombella.

"Yeah, you can't miss it. He lives in the only pink house here in Petalburg."

"Alright, thank-a you very much!" Said Mario _Pink House...?_ He thought to himself.

* * *

"Woah, you mean we're in another world?!" Said Usopp is disbelief, as he was being filled in on all the details on the way to the mayor's house. "I thought this place seemed strange...but to think it's another world entirely..."

"For the time being, it seems we're stuck here until we can find a Rift Pool." Stated Robin. "So it seems best to help Mario here look for the Crystal Stars, so perhaps we can find everyone else too."

"I see..." Said Usopp, still finding it hard to take it all in. "Hey, is that the Mayor's house?" He said suddenly, pointing to a pink cottage nearby.

"Wow, it really is pink..." Said Goombella, questioning the owner's taste in color. "Well c'mon, let's see what he has to tell us..." With that, the group walked over and approached the mayor's house.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Said Luffy as he entered the house without even knocking first.

"Wuh-wuzzat? Who's there?" Called a voice. It belonged to a very old-looking bearded Koopa, who's eyes were concealed by his big furry eyebrows, and needed a cane to support. "Are you thieves? Come to rob an old, defenceless man, I see!"

Mario tried to explain. "Ah, we're not-a thieves, we just..."

"Well, if you're thieves, I'm sorry but there's not much here. I do have a little money, but just don't take any of my family portraits, you got that?" The elderly koopa rambled on.

"We're looking for something called the Crystal Stars. Have you heard if them?" Asked Robin.

"Crystal Stars? Well why didn't you say so?" Said the old Koopa. "Let's see here...where did I hear that name before...oh yeah! Hooktail! Hooktail has something called that! You see, there's this gigantic dragon..."

"Oi oi oi! You're telling us to get this Star, we need to beat Hooktail?!" Said a panicked Usopp.

"Ah, if it isn't the Legendary Hero!" Said the mayor. "These must be the subordinates you told us about. So, are you guys going off to defeat Hooktail?"

"Don't joke around! Did you see the size of it! It'd eat us all in one gulp! How could we defeat something like that?!" Protested Usopp.

"So you will defeat him? Thanks! I knew I could count on you!" Said the mayor happily. "We'll be sure to shower you with rewards if you succeed!"

"No reward's worth the risk of fighting that thing!" Said Usopp.

"Huh? You'll accept no reward? How noble of you!" Said the mayor. "But I guess that's to be expected, of a brave hero like yourself!"

"This mayor...he seems a bit hard of hearing..." Noted Robin.

"YOU THINK?!" Yelled Usopp.

"So all we have to do his beat Hooktail right?" Said Luffy. "Sounds simple enough!"

"Wait Luffy, you haven't seen the size of this thing, it's..." Started Usopp

"Yeah, I did."

"You will still wanna fight it?!" Said Usopp. He realized that any further attempts would be futile. _Oh well, we do have Luffy, so he might be able to do something to it...hopefully he knows what he's doing!_

"Well, guess we're off to fight Hooktail." Said Goombella as they exited the mayor's house. "Now we just need to get to that castle..."

"Um...excuse me?" Said a nervous voice from behind. They turned and saw another Koopa, this looked like the one they had met earlier, only he had a bandage on his nose and was wearing a light blue hoodie. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you...m-my name's Koops...and, um..."

"Huh? What is it?" Asked Luffy, not aware of the Koopa's bashfulness.

"Oh well, it's just...you know what...never mind. Forget I said anything." Mumbled Koops.

"Oh, okay. Yosh! Let's go beat Hooktail!" Said Luffy, promptly turning away and seemingly forgetting all about Koops. The other started to do the same. Koops stood there downcast for a few moments, then suddenly raised his head again.

"No...wait, there is something I want to say!" He said, sounding a little more defiant then before. The group turned their attention back on to him. "Will you guys...take me with you?!"

* * *

Author's Note: And that's it! What did you guys think? Tried to make it a little longer like some people suggested, how was it? As always, any review or constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! 'Till next time!


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